Hydrocephalus is an excess buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles (reservoirs) of the brain, which can cause elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). Buildup occurs when the fluid cannot flow freely throughout the ventricles and the central nervous system due to various forms of blockage. Elevated ICP also may result from a brain injury or other diseases.
A pupilometer is a hand-held portable electronic instrument that assesses and records pupil size and reaction to stimulus. A pupilometer may be useful in identifying elevated ICP or other harmful brain conditions. In particular, a pupilometer may provide a rapid diagnostic tool for patients with a suspected brain injury. An example of an existing pupilometer is the Forsite™ Pupilometer, commercially available from Medtronic, Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn.
Vital signs monitors are used within a clinic or hospital, as well as in the field during delivery of emergency medical services. A vital signs monitor typically includes multiple inputs to receive vital signs information from a variety of sensors, such as electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes, blood pressure (BP), pulse oximetry (SpO2), temperature sensors, respiration sensors, and the like.
The vital signs information is useful for real-time evaluation of the patient's conditions, as well as formulation and archival of a running record of the patient's condition over time. A pupilometer may store or output information relating to the patient's pupil state. However, pupilometer information has not been readily susceptible to integration with information obtained by a vital signs monitor, particularly in an electronic form.
U.S. Published Patent Application 20040169817 to Grotehusmann et al. describes a pupilometer for opthalmic use. U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,968 to Stark et al. describes a pupilometer for medical diagnostic use. U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,109 describes a portable, hand-held pupilometer.
Table 1 below lists documents that disclose pupilometers.
TABLE 1Patent NumberInventorsTitle20040169817GrotehusmannIris pattern recognitionet al.and alignment6,260,968Stark et al.Pupilometer with pupilirregularity detection capability6,022,109Dal SantoHand-held Pupilometer
All documents listed in Table 1 above are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their respective entireties. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate readily upon reading the Summary, Detailed Description and Claims set forth below, many of the devices and methods disclosed in the patents of Table 1 may be modified advantageously by using the techniques of the present invention.